THE FIGHT FOR BIG DATA TALENT

We’ve posted about all the positive prospects for IT professionals in the market at the moment. With an average salary of £46,000 of tech professionals and the number of 6 figure salaries doubling year on year, the financial benefits to be reaped in the sector are second to none.

This week Recruitment International reported even more positive news for IT workers, particularly those in the Big Data segment, with those working in the specialism experiencing an 8% salary increase year on year.

Big Data and IoT are set to be game changers in the market, and are expected to contribute over £322 billion to the UK economy by 2020. Because of this the pressure is on for UK businesses to attract the best talent in this area in order to maximise on the opportunities it can bring.

Geoff Smith, managing director at Experis, commented, “Big data will continue to be a major driver of growth in the UK economy as the digital revolution accelerates. Yet, many companies have been slow to react and there’s a limited talent pool to choose from. Employers are willing to pay highly competitive salaries to attract these experts, so they can help with compliance, uncover valuable customer insights that can transform their business, and innovate for the future.”

When looking at the latest demands for Big Data professionals, there also shows a shift in the hiring demands for this segment outside of the capital. With an annual increase of roles in this profession at 23%. (With similar stories told in segments such as IT security and cloud.) Results recorded show tech clusters such as Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham are dominating the big data market outside of London.

“The tech hubs outside of the Capital are growing quickly. We’re seeing these challenger cities become more and more attractive, as housing, travel and lifestyle costs continue to soar in London and people grow tired of the rat race lifestyle. As such, the likes of Manchester and Leeds, which can offer a better quality of life, are becoming more popular.” Geoff Smith, Experis.

However, the digital skills gap is still a prominent set back in the technology sector, the jobs are there but the appropriate people with the correct skills are not. As mentioned, investment in big data will be a huge area of development for the majority of UK businesses in the coming years. However, with London still home to 87% of big data vacancies, how can northern companies compete with those in the capital? Could we see northern companies offering even better remuneration packages in the fight for the best talent?